Foxconn says Apple, Dell part of its bid for Toshiba chip business

TAIPEI: Apple Inc, computing giant Dell Inc and Kingston Technology Co are members of a Foxconn-led consortium bidding for Toshiba Corp's chip unit, the CEO of the world's largest electronics manufacturer told Reuters on Monday.

Terry Gou, Foxconn's founder and chief executive, also said Amazon.com Inc was close to joining and that the Taiwanese firm was also in discussions with Google, Microsoft Corp and Cisco Systems Inc about their participation in the bid.

He declined to comment on the total size of the offer or say how much Apple and other U.S. firms planned to invest in the bid.

"I can tell you Apple is in for sure," Gou said in an interview, adding that its participation had been approved by the Chief Executive Tim Cook and Apple's board of directors.

Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, and its Japanese unit Sharp Corp would have a combined stake of not more than 40 percent, he added.

Representatives for Apple and the other U.S. firms named by Gou could not be immediately reached for comment outside of regular business hours. Sharp declined to comment.

Several people ET spoke with about Ericsson’s India operations, including its current and former employees, said the Stockholm-based firm has reduced headcount in the last one year or so across functions, in line with its global restructuring.